How to Use Visual Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max Running iOS 18.4

Visual Intelligence allows users to point the iPhone’s camera viewfinder towards an object and search for relevant information about it.

Written by Shaurya Tomer, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 4 April 2025 17:05 IST

How to Use Visual Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max Running iOS 18.4

Apple introduced Visual Intelligence with the iPhone 16 models in September

Highlights

iPhone 15 Pro models get Visual Intelligence with iOS 18.4 update
It is activated via Action button, lock screen button or Control Centre
The feature requires Apple Intelligence to be enabled

Apple released the iOS 18.4 update on Monday and it included several notable features for iPhone users. It introduced new toggles in the Control Centre, new emojis, Priority Notifications, an app to customise the Apple Vision Pro, and wider Apple Intelligence availability. However, perhaps the most notable addition is the expansion of Visual Intelligence to Apple's flagship iPhone models from 2023; the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

What is Visual Intelligence?

Powered by the Cupertino-based tech giant's Apple Intelligence suite, Visual Intelligence is a visual lookup tool which helps users quickly learn about objects and places. It was introduced with the iPhone 16 series in September. The company says it can interact with text in several ways. Users can ask it to summarise and translate text between languages, read it aloud, and detect phone numbers or email addresses and add them to contacts.

Further, the AI lookup tool can identify plants and animals and look up details about a restaurant or business. As per Apple, iPhone users can also enable web search to look up a product they like, solve a math equation, or simply ask ChatGPT to provide more information.

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In essence, Visual Intelligence is Apple's own version of Google Lens, allowing users to point the iPhone's camera viewfinder towards an object and search for relevant information about it.

Visual Intelligence Availability

Visual Intelligence is available on iPhone 16e running iOS 18.3 or later, and iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18.4 or later firmware. However, Apple Intelligence must be turned on to use this feature. Notably, Apple's AI suite isn't yet available in all languages or regions.

Apple says its AI suite is compatible with the entire iPhone 16 series: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max and the newest addition, the iPhone 16e. However, only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are supported from Apple's previous smartphone lineup.

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How to Use Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 15 Pro Models

On the iPhone 16 series, Visual Intelligence can be toggled via the new Camera Control button. However, since the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max do not have the aforementioned button, Apple has designed the Action button for invoking the feature. To do this:

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Go to Settings > Action Button. An image of the iPhone's left spine will appear with icons representing actions that can be assigned to the Action button.
Swipe left or right until the Visual Intelligence option appears on the screen.
Point your iPhone's camera at an object and then press and hold the Action button.
You can choose to either ask Apple Intelligence questions about the object in the viewfinder or search for it on the web via your preferred search engine.

In addition to the Action button, Visual Intelligence can also be placed as an icon on the iPhone's lock screen and as a dedicated option in the Control Centre.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A17 Pro

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 17

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Excellent display
USB Type-C
AAA gaming
Excellent all-round performance
Good primary and telephoto camera
Customisable Action Button

Bad
Gets hot quickly when stressed
Slow wired charging
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max review

Apple iPhone 16e

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Light and compact design
Powerful Apple A18 SoC
Customisable Action Button
Good battery life

Bad
Low light camera performance is below average
Available in just two basic finishes
Large display notch with thick borders
60Hz refresh rate display
Slow wireless and wired charging

Read detailed Apple iPhone 16e review

iPhone 16

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A18

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 18

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

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Further reading: Apple intelligence, IPhone, Apple, AI, Artificial Intelligence, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Visual Intelligence

Shaurya Tomer

Email Shaurya Tomer

Shaurya Tomer is a Sub Editor at Gadgets 360 with 2 years of experience across a diverse spectrum of topics. With a particular focus on smartphones, gadgets and the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence... more »